AUBURN, AL (Sept. 11, 2026) – A report completed by Collegiate Consulting released on Wednesday by Auburn Athletics stated that the FIFA Friendly hosted by the university in June generated more than $27 million for Lee County.
The study, done in partnership with Collegiate Consulting and Auburn-Opelika Tourism, analyzed lodging data, event-generated revenue and overlapping marketing data points to determine the $27.2 million total economic impact.
When accounting for visitor and lodging impacts alone, approximately $17.2 million worth of revenue came from within Lee County, Alabama.
“The Argentina-Iceland match was an extraordinary success for Auburn-Opelika and an incredible example of what’s possible when our community and university work together,” said Robyn Bridges, President of Auburn-Opelika Tourism. “We saw tremendous demand across hotels, short-term rentals, restaurants and businesses throughout the area, while welcoming visitors from across the country and around the world.”
The report also examined media exposures and audience reach. One social media moment examined in particular — German soccer fan and summer social media sensation, Freddy (@FreddyLA7, X).
Collegiate Consulting concludes that between the top social media features (Lionel Messi’s Instagram, Sport Center’s Facebook, FreddyLA7’s X/Twitter, and SEC Network’s TikTok), media content reached more than 306 million individuals, an estimated $18.3 million media-equivalent exposure.
The report also states that the event drove interest in Auburn University, with Auburn Admissions site traffic increasing, which coincided with the event announcement and the June match window.
“You never know what comes from exposing our community to new people,” said Auburn Mayor Ron Anders. “I believe long-term that will be one of the greatest benefits of the soccer match.”